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Originally Posted by -LMAO_
However, the main question that I would like to ask is in what ways has Canreef aided to their reefing hobby as well as created problems and issues in there every day life. Either it be issues regarding time expenditure, family and friend issues or problems of any kind attributed to directly using a forum of this kind?
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Haha, do you really want to open this can of worms?... Forums can be very helpful by tapping the experience, breadth and depth of knowledge of the members. And for getting quick answers to pressing questions or problems. But forums can also be misleading and confusing with often opposing views and opinions. And is popular opinion always correct?
I've only been in the hobby a few years, and got to experience first hand some of the bad advice that is often doled out to newbies. Fortunately, I was able to sift out much of the bad information, and who to trust and who not to, and eventually learned from my own experiences. But I have also seen a lot of frustrated new hobbyists call it quits after a couple years (or less) because of various problems and unfulfilled expectations due to bad advice.
There are some common debate topics, though, including managing water parameters, nutrients, pest control, disease, lighting, and coral growth. Even seemingly simple tasks such as what test kits to use and how, can bring out a lot of opposing opinions. Of course there is more than one way to be successful, and there is always opportunity to experiment and learn about new methods. And some things are just personal preference. But quite often, too, old myths live on, and the same mistakes are made over and over.
So how does one try to decipher all these various opinions, and decide what is best for you? Well, you can go with popular opinion, but is that always the best? Forums (not just this one) are full of people that want to help. But often much of that advice is based on 2nd or 3rd hand information from other posts or articles, and not necessarily fact.
With myself, I look at the experience and success of the one giving advice. Are they just spouting popular opinion, or are they describing the facts of their own experience with respect to a particular topic or question? I think this is very important. It's certainly OK to quote others and reference articles. But how do they apply that knowledge to their own experiences?
I think the best way to do that is look at hobbyist's tank journals, or their posting history. What problems or issues have they dealt with? What were their successes and failures? Are they speaking from direct experience, or are they just quick to express their opinions? To me, that is most telling.
Unfortunately, though, I have found that many of the most successful hobbyists are also the least quick to give advice or express their opinions. I am not sure if that is just their nature, or if they have just gotten tired of giving the same advice, and being ignored or not being appreciated. I suspect some of the latter may be the case.
I should mention, too, that I also participate in aircraft building and flying forums, which is another hobby of mine. And there, too, I often see bad advice, which sometimes can even be downright dangerous. But in the end, success can be determined by the end product and performance of the completed aircraft. So, I think the same criteria to evaluate advice can be applied to many hobbies and forums, or indeed to many decisions in everyday life.
And popular opinion is not always correct,... IMHO,...LOL.